The Italy Files Part 1: Tuscany Revisited
Florence was fabulous! It was great for all the usual reasons - tastey food, divine coffee, nice weather, lovely people, incredible history, art, and architecture. We made some new discoveries too, but before I get into that I have to say it's hard to go back to a place you idealize in your memory, which I do with Tuscany.

The nice thing is that the place has not lost its effect on me. I was dazzled. But I was wistful at times too, remembering another magical time in my life. Thinking about the people I knew that I've lost track of and how so much time has passed. It's strange to be there as a tourist instead of a student/resident, knowing I'm only passing through (like so many thousands). I used to feel the place somehow belonged to me or that I belonged to it. I guess that's why I waited so long to go back.

One thing I remember very differently is traveling by overnight train. When I was a spry, 21-year-old I thought nothing of bunking up with 5 strangers in a tiny sleeping car and arrived at my destination rested and energized. At 33, not so much. Christoph and I had our own private cabin, but I don't think I got more than an hour or two of solid sleep. The cabin was cramped and shabby and there was nowhere to hang out or even sit comfortably. No dining car or anything. At some point in the middle of the night there was a lot of yelling in Italian, which was strangely comforting.


Once we got to Florence, I quickly forgot the rough journey because the city was so beautiful. After dropping our bags at the hotel, we stumbled around looking for a place to have a leisurely cappuccino, which is how we found Piazza Santo Spirito. With its leafy trees, fountain and simple church, it's an oasis from the tourist frenzy. In the evening, a cluster of lively bars became a gathering place for the locals, an artsy, student crowd. They were out strutting their stuff, as the Italians do so well, but in a relaxed, casal way. You could linger there for hours.


Another new discovery for me was Italy's passion for aperativi. I have to give credit to my friend Jul, who lived in the aperativo capital of Milan and clued me into this trend. The Lonely Planet even had a side-bar on it.

Around 6 or 7 pm, loads of stylie Italians pour into bars around the city for a pre-dinner cocktail. As with other food and drink, Italians have a pretty strict protocol for consuming aperativi and ordering such a beverage at the wrong hour, after dinner for instance, will cause the bartender and server great dismay, or so we were warned. We were careful to avoid that gaff.

Our best encounter with Florence's aperativo culture was at Negroni, a bar near the Arno river where the crowd spills out on the sidewalk and the free buffet, known as stuzzichini, is especially generous. Negroni is also the name of a tastey gin and Campari cocktail, and we had several rounds there. I also tried Cynar, a nice, dark brown bitter made from artichokes and served over ice (thanks again Jul!).

What I found most appealing though was the crowd. All kinds of people, not just hip young, singles, turned up at these places. Tourists blended easily with locals. A dapper man in his 70s chatting up the bartender fit in just as well as the fashionable young couple and the group of 40-something women on either side of us. It seemed there was room for everyone and that a community was connecting. What a nice way to live.